Paper Trails
by jokergirl2001
Summary: As the rain pelted down on her, she decided that although the world was cruel, it was even more beautiful. Others just have to stop for a moment to realize too. SI-OC!Konan (ON HOLD!)
1. My Rain

_Hello, how do you do? My name is Konan. I am a citizen from Amegakure, the village hidden in rain. And in case you were wondering, yes, I am that Konan. The mysterious woman who had supported her two beloved friends' dreams of peace and died defending said friends' beliefs in a very amazing way yet sadly couldn't defeat the masked man because of a very immature asspull jutsu. As if the Sharingan wasn't overpowered enough! Excuse me for the bad word, I normally don't curse, but that just makes you see how strong my feelings are towards the original Konan's death._

 _Yes, I am that Konan, the ever mysterious paper based ninjutsu user from the Naruto series. Imagine my surprise when I figured that one out. I can only say that I still regret being such a hassle for my new parents._

 _How do I know about the Naruto series? Well I suppose we could say I was reincarnated. I could think of worse worlds to be reincarnated in such as Attack on Titan or Higurashi, and I could think of others that I really didn't want to be reincarnated as such as Sasuke Uchiha or Kakashi Hatake, so aside from the ever present guilt I still feel towards my situation I am rather pleased._

 _That is not to say that Konan's life is an easy one. Being just a child during the Second Great Shinobi War is...a horror inducing experience filled with fright, lack of freedom, depression, poverty and the like. In my old life I had truly never realize how good I had it, in this life I do. War teaches you to apreciate the little things in life after all._

 _Like time with your parents, like the quiet moments of peace, like the miracle of having food to eat, like the moment of just being able to sleep. These moments were rare, yet they were what made me hope. If it weren't for these moments I would have lost my hope. It was these moments and my parents that drove me. That motivated me. My reasons for holding on to life._

 _When I was little, specifically a baby, I would constantly cry. To mourn, out of fear or even because I was sad. Point is I was constantly crying. The sound of rain easily dampered the noise of my constant crying. At some point my parents made me open my eyes and realize that crying is okay, but I have to keep going despite the pain. They made me realize how selfish I was being by showering me in their love. Made me feel more guitly each time they called me by Konan. But they were my crunch. The reason I held on to my new life so stubbornly._

 _My mother Kimiko was a medic-nin, she quit after having me though. It was dangerous to leave your child unattended during war after all. Nowadays she is just a humble housewife. I love her very dearly, how couldn't I? She had raised a crybaby like me with patience, care and love. Even with memories of another mother, who was impossibly strict, I couldn't deny the fact that she is my mother._

 _She taught me everything I know after all. How to write, origami, pressing flowers, culture, history, tea ceremonies, sing and she even taught me about the economy._

 _Suffice to say I admire my mother greatly. She's a kind, compassionate, strong, graceful and beautiful woman._

 _My father's name is Kei. Just like my mother I love him dearly. He's an amazing father. He is a ninja of Amegakure, the main reason I found out about my situation was his headband._

 _Father is a polite and humble man. He never raises his voice, he specializes in Kenjutsu and Ninjutsu. Perhaps Konan took after him in the latter specilization. Father constantly proclaims his love to mother and I, going as far as saying that we are his reason to fight and that he will protect us with his life._

 _He taught me humbleness, how to act like the child I am, how to apreciate the little things, to always stand by my beliefs and how to make the most out of a bad situation. He's the reason I can be so positive._

 _Simply said I love my parents. I would do anything for them. And to protect the fact that they love me I'll keep lying to them. Acting like the little girl they love, acting like I am Konan. And I ignore the guilt tearing me apart one by one with practiced ease._

 _But even though I can say I am happy, there are still those random nights when I'm awake at midnight sobbing about a forgotten past or those nights when the constant fear I feel make me doubt everything. Only the warmth of my mother and father hugging me tightly makes the sadness go away._

 _The fear never goes away. I constantly fear. For my parents lives, for my future, for my sin of having stolen another's life, fear of the world, fear of the moon, fear of my surroundings. Fear...that one day I'll wake up and find that everything that happened was just a figment of my imagination. The mind is rather complex after all._

 _The fear is what drives my motivation to start training in the art of being a shinobi. My parents probably noticed, they were smart after all. They didn't say anything though._

 _I kept training regardless, perfecting my origami skills, trying some chakra control exercises -both from the series and selfmade ones-, kept doing exercises and kept asking questions. I wasn't very subtle, I've always been a straight forward person after all._

 _I even tried my hands at sensing. If it wasn't for my positive view on things I would have given up, but right now I kept persisting, determined to be able to sense danger before it arrived._

 _I swear that the amused look my mom had when I failed wasn't my imagination. I am not crazy!_

 _Eventually I realized that although my approach may improve my skills it wasn't the best way to go about it. After all both my parents were ninjas. In hind sight I can be a little dense about things..._

 _So I did the logical and most straight forward thing._

I groaned, tears of frustration welling up in my eyes, I still haven't gotten rid of my crybaby habits yet, why can't I just do this already?!

A chuckle made me jump (and remembered that I really can't sense)

There sitting next to me (how didn't I notice?!) was my father. His spiky blue hair hiding his equally blue eyes. I had gotten my hair from him, luckily it isn't spiky. You could say my father looks like Minato Namikaze, only with blue hair and blue eyes, and of course Amegakure attire. Though right now he was just wearing a black kimono.

"Daddy you scared me!" I accused placing a hand on my heart that was still beating fast, currently I was four years old. For the sake of visual, I'll say my hair is in a bob-cut and that I am wearing a soft pink kimono with white petals.

My father chuckled, his voice ever calm and collected, "You should be more aware my little bird"

I flushed a bit at the nickname, the nickname was kind of my fault, see I had asked my mom if the saying that if you fold a thousand cranes your wish will come true is real, seemed like no one has ever heard about it in the Naruverse. How embarrassing.

"I-I am aware!" I protested

"You're not a good liar Ko-chan" My father teasingly said brushing my hair

It was true. I couldn't lie to my loved ones no matter how hard I try. I smiled at my father "Welcome back daddy"

In response he planted a kiss on my forehead and brought me to his lap. I leaned back enjoying the sound of his beating heart. The fact that he was still living and breathing.

"So, what has my little bird so frustrated?" He curiously asked

"I still can't fold a rose" I mumbled staring at my latest origami craft ones the low table, instead of the rose I wanted it turned out into a cherry blossom.

"It's still beautiful" my father assured me

Although it made me feel a tad better I was still disappointed in myself. The real Konan probably- I stopped my trail of thought immediately.

"I guess" I relented, if only to get my mind off of things.

My mother, bless her perfect timing, chose that moment to walk in. She had a tray of riceballs "Welcome back dear" she greeted with a warm smile, her voice as soothing and gentle as ever.

For the sake of visual I'd say she looks like the older Konan, only that her hair was a darker shade of blue. She was wearing a light blue kimono with white butterfly patterns. I got my eyes and facial structure from her.

My father smiled in response as my mother sat down next to us.

'This is the moment Lucy, you promised you'd tell them the next time you were together' my mind reminded me

I paled a bit, 'Maybe I should do it the next time...'

'You said that about seven times already' my mind was a bit of a snark

'Eight is the charm?' I weakly offered

'Haha, no.'

I gulped, my hands started to sweat as my eyes darted nervously between my conversing parents.

How does one four year old kid tell her parents that she wants to be a ninja? A killer, thief, tool, assassin and if you're a female which I am most likely seduction? Some may roll their eyes, but I really don't want my parents to be disappointed in me.

'And it's pretty hard to break the news to two parents that their little girl wants to be a killer' my mind helpfuly added

There probably is a right way to break it out to your parents, but I being the master of tact that I am simply blurted out

"I want to be a ninja!"

Immediately my parents stopped talking. Their eyes were on me. Me? I was looking down scolding myself, my face was probably red and my eyes were tearing up.

Out of all the ways I could have worded it...

"R-run that by me again?" My mother asked breaking the awkward silence

I took in a deep breath, there was no turning back now, I hesitantly raised my head to face my mom. For once her beautiful smile wasn't there and I had the epiphany that Konan's blank expression was inspired by mom.

"I want to become a ninja" my voice had died down to a whisper, but it seemed like the room echoed my words with the rain singing along.

For a moment there was a silence, as if the three of us were mulling over things.

Then my father sighed, "We knew this would happen since eight months ago"

My eyes widened, "That's when..." I trailed off, yep I really couldn't control my emotions.

"When you started training yourself" my mother finished for me

My face flushed, guilt motivated tears welling up in my eyes. My mom gave me a small amused smile

"You thought we wouldn't notice?" She asked

I shook my head, "Just didn't know you knew from the start..."

"Although I still wonder where you learned chakra control exercises" my mom mused

My face got even redder as I looked down to cover the shame and guilt. I couldn't answer her.

"Although since you got your smarts from both me and your father I can say it's because you're smart enough to connect the dots, no my little kitten?" My mom asked

The nickname earned from my constant questions. I nodded slightly, guilt already consuming me for the white lie. Although it was partially true, I got the ideas for my selfmade exercises from my mom's answers.

"Why do you want to become a ninja Konan?"

It was the surprise for both the use of my name coupled with the fact that I honestly forgot that my father was there that made me snap my head up. My surprised amber eyes meeting his calm blue ones.

Then I remembered what he asked, I didn't even need to think "I want to become strong so I can protect"

For once I felt confident. I felt determined and sure of myself. Even so I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes

"Women should stay in the kitchen" My father responded

My mouth fell open in shock, my father had never been sexist before, so why was he? Was he trying to discourage me? By saying something so offensive? Another thing about me that one should know is that I hate discrimination against genders.

"Gender doesn't matter when it comes to being a ninja!" For once I raised my voice

My mother gasped, my father didn't seem taken aback. "You aren't ninja material. You're too soft, kind and naive. You'll never make it as a ninja, give up now before you die"

I clenched my fists, somewhere in the moment I had gotten up from his lap and stood in front of him, "It doesn't matter. I can learn to control my emotions. I can become cold if it's to protect you and mom! If I'm too soft then I'll become harder to cover it up, if I'm too kind I'll be meaner to hide it, and if I am too naive I'll become a genius so no one will notice!"

Finally I unclenched my fists "I'll do whatever it takes to become stronger, to protect" I finished more calmly. As usual my eyes were tearing up.

My father stared at me for what seemed like forever, I for once did not avert my eyes.

"Do as you please. There's no stopping you when you want something"

My eyes widened in surprise at my father's approving smile "I..." was speechless. The only thing I could do was look at my mother's sad yet approving smile

"You got your stubborness from your father" she said with a nod

Me being me I could only fall to my knees and break down crying.

Crybaby Konan is a fitting tittle for me.

My mom's arms wrapped me in a hug "It's okay kitten, we knew this day would come. We're not disappointed. Just worried." Her soothing voice murmured as she played with my hair

It was probably my body that shook as I clung to her, my sobbing getting louder.

The truth was that I wanted them to say no. I didn't want to become a ninja. I didn't want to kill, I didn't want to throw away my morals, I...I'm so scared! What if I die again? Oh god, I don't want to die again! No!

Please someone, anyone, help me. I want to live. Death is so scary, I don't want to go through it again.

(My need to protect overpowered my fear. But the fear didn't go away, it never does)

 _And that's how I broke the news to my parents. When I stopped crying I asked my mom to teach me medical jutsu. I know that if I were to let someone die in front of me without being able to help, I would break. I need to know how to heal. Healing isn't something that could make me physically strong, but it would help me in my goal. To protect._

 _My mom easily agreed and we started almost immediately. It wasn't easy at all. It was a surprise that Sakura was able to suprass Tsunade in three years when there was so much to medical ninjutsu. I suppose I should give Sakura more credit, but it isn't my fault that the author didn't properly convey how hard it was and made me believe that Sakura should have learned something else as well. But I suppose Sakura's strong point isn't strength. It's her love and desire to support._

 _Back on topic. Medical Ninjutsu is hard. Learning how to identify sickness, viruses, poisons, allergies and the like while also learning each and every way to counter them. Then the atanomy, everything that has to do with your body including cells and dna. Aside from the theory learning how to properly apply the correct amount of chakra and work under pressure._

 _Simply put, learning to become a medic is a very hard and eye opening experience. At the same time I am glad I still don't have much chakra, or else my control would have failed._

 _My father on the other hand simply woke me up one day and dropped the fact that he was going to teach me Taijutsu and hand seals on me. I'll leave that totally embarrassing memory to your imaginations._

 _Of course I never really gave up on trying to sense chakra. After a year it thankfully paid off._

 _Perfecting my origami still had some ways to go, but I was pretty proud with my skills. It seemed like Konan's body really was a natural at the art of folding paper._

 _I guess this could count as my beginning as Konan. It isn't anything flashy, but these memories of my early childhood is something I hold very dear even now years into the future._

 _But even the best memories can be sad. I still wouldn't dream of getting rid of them regardless. Not the memories of this life nor my previous life._

 _I was once Lucy. Now I am Konan. And my dream isn't to change the story. It is to protect my loved ones. Having the power to do that is enough for me. I don't need anything else. But I suppose I am still young. When young, one's dreams are always fickle._

* * *

 _"If you ain't scared, you ain't human" -Alby, Maze Runner_

* * *

 _ **AN: Yes, another fiction I shouldn't be writing. Anyways, only the first chapter is in First Person, the rest will be in Third Person. Why did I decide to make this fiction? Mostly because I never see SI-OC stories of Konan on various sites, and I wanted to do something that's never been done before instead of writing a SI-OC Sakura fic. Besides I think that as a character Konan was wasted, there were so many possibilities! So why not write them in my story?**_

 ** _Bam! You have yourself this fiction, "Paper Trails"  
_**


	2. Kindness in Rain

Sweating and panting hard is how she always wakes up when she didn't ask her parents to sleep with her. It happened so often that she considered it a routine

Wake up from her nightmare, sometimes cry about her old life or even feel like she's suffering a mild cardiac arrest, and then put on her big girl panties

She was mentally twenty three, so she knew that it wasn't very adult like for her to cry. But she's always been emotional and now her emotional side had only grown due to being in a child's body

To think she once thought that children cried for dumb reasons, but now she knows that the truth is that kids are easily emotional, it's not their fault, it's nature's.

 _I abhor the fact that when puberty once again hits I'll be left as an even more emotional wreck._ She thought to herself solemnly, _By then I'll need an upgrade on my tittle as Crybaby Konan_

Her tensed body took a full minute to relax, the rain being a double-edged sword to her. It served as both a calming lullaby and the ever present reminder that she didn't belong in this world and that her old life was gone for good

Spain and Amegakure certainly had their huge differences, ranging from politics to how lively the two are.

Well, maybe the latter wasn't exactly a good example considering that Amegakure was currently the battlegrounds for the Second Great Shinobi War which has been going on for the last year

Even if there wasn't any major war going on Konan knew that Amegakure constantly had civil wars going on thanks to her mother's lessons. She admits that she was a bit more surprised than she should have been when her mother told her about various organisations trying and ultimately failing to bring down Hanzo

When she thought about it she realized that it was kind of stupid of her to think that Nagato and Yahiko were the only two to ever try to oppose Hanzo, after all even if the world she now lives in is different she knows that her fellow humans would always fight for their rights

Speaking of rights, it was apparent that in the Ninja world human rights didn't exist, or at least the bare minimum that benefits a village such as "free education" which really just means learning to become a killer and a soldier for free.

Treatment of civilians varied depending on where they're from, but in Amegakure one could say that the civilians have a hard life. With the war going on they're not treated properly, or they're constantly fearing that one day their homes will be taken away from them due to casualties and therefore them becoming even worse off than they are

It kind of explains why Amegakure often goes through civil wars. Poverty, revenge (towards Hanzo), political disagreement, greed and anything else you can imagine really.

The only two exceptions being religion and nationalism. The former because religion wasn't exactly common in the Ninja world, of course how could it be what with the lack of morals and constant sins, it'd be a surprise to hear about a ninja actually following a decent religion. The latter mainly because the citizens of Amegakure don't even like their own village, which in their eyes was only a "play field" for the greater Villages

It was sad to see people think so little of their own birthplace and perhaps the fact that the other villages only saw Amegakure as a "play field" for their war was even sadder. Amegakure never wanted a part of the Second War after all, but they were dragged into it by the other villages and Hanzo

Soon enough Konan was sure that the inhabits would mostly consist of war refugees and that the population would continue to dwindle as the war goes on

Though Amegakure's way of teaching kids to become ninja was more effective than what she's seen compared to Konohagakure, every other village had the advantage in numbers.

One day Nagato will change all this, there won't be anymore wars in Amegakure...she thought to herself, her chest swelling with faith

It would be a lie if she said she wasn't looking forward to meeting the redhead, she would freely admit that she kind of had a thing for the Rinnengan. But that's only because her favorite color is purple mind you, it definitely did not have anything to do with Nagato

But will I really be able to meet Nagato? What if I do something differently than the original Konan? What if Nagato dies of starvation before I even meet him? What if I die? What if I mess up everything and cause the world to blow up?!

Okay, maybe the last one was a bit dramatic, but the was sure the rest were valid points. She couldn't afford not to meet Yahiko and Nagato. She had to bring them together and protect them, that was her purpose

It was odd for her to feel such a surge of protectiveness over the two when she hasn't personally met them yet, but it oddly felt right. She didn't know them yet, but she wanted to make sure those two have a happy ending this time around

They didn't deserve anything that had happened to them

Frankly speaking, no civilian nor children nor even the ninjas from Amegakure deserved anything that's happening

And by helping Nagato and Yahiko she was going to fix it. She just needed to be patient, and considering that the art of Origiami required patience, she was sure she had enough of it.

Which is exactly why she has to get stronger, she can't let Yahiko die this time. Yahiko was Nagato's anchor, just like her mother and father were hers.

Now determined Konan stood up from her futon, she was still clad in her usual soft pink kimono that was a bit messy

For some reason her mother adores seeing her in pink clothing, but Konan wasn't protesting. It was nice to see her mother so happy, besides she didn't have anything against the color pink. It was actually a nice color in her opinion

 _Oh, I have to feed Nemo!_ she remembered once she had reached downstair

Nemo was simply a dull orange fish from the river surrounding Amegakure, he was Konan's first animal patient that's actually still alive

Obviously his name was inspired by an orange clownfish, Konan never did say she was creative after all

It was kind of funny how her parents failed to properly say "Nemo" the first few days

What could she say? She had a childish sense of humor

Another thing that doesn't exist in the Ninja world would be fish food, which is why she has to use very small crumbles of bread as replacement

Maybe one day she'd pull a Lilo and feed Nemo a peanut butter sandwich

Was there even peanut butter in the Ninja world?

"Konan..."

Konan almost broke the small glass bowl in surprise, where the heck did her mother come from?

Was it like her parents' hobby to sneak up on her?

She had to resist the urge to mutter prayers of not dying because of a heart attack due to her parents. It wouldn't do too well if her parents catches her muttering in Spanish after all

"Yes mother?" she asked turning around to face her mother who wore a grim expression

"I...shall we sit down and talk over tea?"

 _Uh-oh, am I in trouble or is there bad news?_

Having a talk over tea was pleasant, but with the grim expression her mother was giving she knew there was something up

"Don't worry, you're not in trouble or anything"

Konan blushed, was her mother distantly related to the Yamanaka or something? Because that would explain how she always seemed to know what she was thinking about

It didn't take long for her to be sitting down in the proper Japanese way or seiza as it's commonly known as

Even now she still had some difficulties with the position, her best endurance time being only fifteen minutes before she starts to feel the pins and needles

Despite her difficulties with the proper way of sitting she adores the way of tea or teaism

She was in such a state of focus as she allowed the green tea to bless her taste buds that she didn't notice her mother relaxing

Finally, after five minutes with now ten minutes left before she would lose her proper sitting stance she gave her mother a curious look

Even though she loves the woman it was a bit odd calling Kimiko her mother in her head. She sometimes switched between calling Kimiko by name or just mom. It depends on her mood she guesses.

But even so Kimiko would never replace her mama, her mama would always be her mama. Just as Kimiko would always be her "kaa-chan"

"What was it that you wanted to talk about mom?" she curiously asked

"Remember uncle Rei?" Kimiko lightly asked

"Daddy and mommy's best friend, right?" Konan innocently asked

Kimiko directed a sad smile to her daughter, "Yes"

"Mom, what's wrong?"

"Rei is no longer with us"

Konan's eyes widened in surprise "How? Rei-jii didn't go to war..."

"He didn't want to at first, but then the enemy ninjas made him hurt really bad right here..." Kimiko motioned to where her heart is, "So he wanted to hurt them back"

Konan didn't say anything, it wasn't like she knew what to say either. She's not good with people dying

"Konan, I know that your father and I won't always be there to make sure you're not hurting. Maybe you're even hurting right now without us knowing. But I want you to know that hurting others back is never the answer"

"I don't like hurting people" Konan awkwardly assured

"You're a kind girl Konan, and I'm so proud of you"

"M-mom?" Konan mumbled off guard as Kimiko pulled her into her lap

Kimiko didn't say anything for at least a minute as she played with her daughter's hair

Finally finding what she wanted to say she looked down at her daughter with a soft look

"Konan-chan, be sure to never forget kindness in these chaotic times."

"Mom... If I were to lose the one most dear to me, I'm not sure I would be able to feel that way." Konan admitted with a tint of shame

"It's especially for those times that kindness must be kept. That way, your heart will not give in to sorrow." Kimiko smiled at Konan

Konan looked confused, "Forget sorrow and instead replace it with kindness?" she mumbled as if it hadn't really crossed her thought

"Yes"

"I'll remember your words mom"


	3. Death in Rain

In fiction the deaths of a main character's love ones are always played for drama in a very slow way for suspense

In real life this isn't the case, especially not for Konan

Because reality doesn't slow down when it takes away something precious from you, it never even gives you a warning, cruelly ripping away what you held so dear from your grasps

The same happened to Konan on a usual rainy day in Amegakure, well it was supposed to be a usual day

Her mother had been up and about in the kitchen cooking up some fish curry, a white origami rose in her head

Her father had been reading an old worn out book

And she had been writing in her diary of sorts, it was more like a biograhpy of her old life that she kept filling every day. It contained every information about herself, and even the information she could remember about the world she was in

Nemo was busy eating up the small crumbles of bread

This day was supposed to be quiet and peaceful, the rare break they had in the Second Shinobi War

But there were never truly any breaks in war, only scheming and planning

The first sign that something was wrong was the slight shaking of Nemo's water bowl

It was only Konan who didn't notice this

Kimiko and Kei however had shared a glance, and they had both acted accordingly

Kimiko by grabbing their emergency storage scrolls, something she always had in case of emergencies. Being a former Medic-nin and Kunoichi paid off when it came to being prepared

The scrolls were filled with the bare necesities, everything that they would need but not overly packed. Finally Kimoko changed into a more combat suiting kimono

Kei had changed into his standard Jounin gear

All this happened in less than twenty seconds

"Daddy, why are you in your ninja clothes?" a confused Konan asked closing her diary

Kei looked at his daughter, his precious little girl

He knew his daughter admired him greatly, but a small part of him wondered what would happen is his daughter knew the truth...

It didn't matter right now, he reminded himself as he crouched down and pulled his daughter into an embrace

"Daddy, you're scaring me..." he heard her mumble shakily

 _'Already have tears in your eyes despite not knowing what's happening, makes me wonder if where you got your emotional side from...'_ he thought to himself

"Really?"

"Yes"

He smiled "Hey Ko-chan, do you believe that there will ever be a sunshine in Amegakure?" he asked

"It's always raining here, so I don't know. Why are you asking?" Konan questioned hesitantly hugging him back

She felt so small and fragile to him, he wants to keep protecting her forever. That's why, he won't die. He'll live on with his family

"I believe that physically speaking sunshine may never come in Amegakure, but in a different sense I already found my sunshine in Amegakure."

"Your sunshine?" He could feel her trembling against him

"You, you're our precious sunshine Ko-chan. You make us happy even under these grey skies. You're my pride and joy, and you're your mother's treasure. And we love you so very much"

"I love you too daddy" Konan murmured back

Kei closed his eyes inhaling and exhaling, he had to maintain his composure

"Daddy you're trembling"

Oh, so it was him that was trembling...

"I guess I am" he cracked a smile, guess Konan inherited her emotional self from him

"Why?"

"Because...I'm scared Sunshine"

He could feel Konan frowning against his clothes, "But you're strong!"

"Being strong doesn't mean I'm fearless Ko-chan, it just means I know how to act brave when I'm actually very scared"

"Why are you scared daddy?"

"Sweetie, stop asking your daddy so many questions"

Kei breathed out a sigh of relief as he let go of Konan. He brushed his sleeve against his eyes to get rid of the stray tears

Kimiko didn't say a word as she instructed Konan to carry their bag filled with scrolls before ushering her daughter out of the house and into the rain

"We're going to play a _ninja_ game of tag, okay Ko-chan? On the count of three everyone you see from here on out are it except for your mother and I. You have to be fast, quiet and follow us, got it?"

Konan nodded still seeming conflicted, but Kei knew that his daughter had already figured out what was going on. She was only denying it as she concealed her chakra

"Mom, dad, what's happening?" Konan quietly asked as Kimiko took her hand

On cue the ground started shaking

"Three!" Kei yelled making his daughter and wife break out into a fast run

Yells resounded from the small town, it wasn't long before weapons began gliding through the air along with the irony smell of blood

The family of three merely kept their heads down and avoided everyone while making their way out of town to a more neutral one

It was a silent agreement between the two adults to keep Konan between them and hidden

They were too busy concentrating on surviving that they didn't notice when Konan's gaze fell to one of the enemy ninja in the distance

Her eyes widening when she recognized the Village they belonged to _'Iwagakure!'_ She didn't even know she stopped moving

"Ko-chan!"

Konan didn't even get the chance to blink as her father pushed her away

And just where she was standing an explosion tag went off causing debris to fly

Konan felt disorienteted but she could feel herself being carried in her mother's arms into the forest where more tags lay

 _'...where...daddy?...'_ was her last thoughts before she blacked out

Her head was pounding when she woke up

She was in a forest, and she could feel some cuts here and there litering her body

She scent of ashes clogged her nose as she slowly but surely sat up

Everything seemed like a blur to her, the only thing she could really register was the rain clampering down on her

"Konan..."

Konan jumped in surprise, her eyes trying to find the form matching the voice. She could eventually make out the form of her mother sitting next to her

Kimiko gave her daughter a relieved smile, she was glad that she had managed to keep her daughter alive, even if it was at the cause of her chakra

Now Kimiko herself barely had an ounce of chakra in her system, she knew she would be dying of chakra exhaustion if she kept going

"Konan, want to play a game?" Kimiko shakily asked

"N-no, the last one was scary and d-daddy..." Konan shook her head trailing off with tears streaming down her face

"I promise this one will be the last one for today, so please?" Kimiko could sense the enemy-ninja coming from two miles behind them

"No..."

"Konan, please!" Kimoko desperately cried raising her voice

She could see Konan's shoulders trembling as her daughter hesitantly nodded in fear

"If you keep going ahead you'll find a town in less than a day if you go fast, find a place to stay and take care of yourself" Kimiko hurriedly explained giving her daughter a quick kiss on the forehead and placing the rose origiami in Konan's hair

"...we've never p-played this game before" Konan noted

Kimiko smiled slightly, "It's called _stay alive and live on_ " she gently said turnig her daughter around and pushing her forward

She watched on as Konan took a few hesitant steps forward before pausing

Kimiko frowned, she knew her daughter well enough to know that her daughter would come back

 _'What would you do Kei?'_ she wondered

And knowing her husband she knows her husband would have said...

"Don't turn back! Keep your eyes forward, and move on!" she sternly yelled

Or something along those lines, right?

"Mom...I'm off!" Konan choked out before running forward

Kimiko's eyes widened, the scene of her, her husband and her daughter sitting together at the table eating together flashed in her head

The image now seemed so far away from her, but she couldn't help but reach out her hand to Konan's

She didn't want to be left alone, she already lost her husband she didn't want to lose her daughter, not her baby girl

She bit on her tongue to prevent herself from calling out to Konan, she didn't want to take away her daughter's shot at survival

 _'Stay safe my little flower...'_

The mother didn't know if the wetness on her cheeks was because of the rain or because she was crying, she had a feeling it was both

 _'And now I'll have to complete my last mission. Not as a Kunoichi, nor a tool for this godforsaken village, but as a proud mother'_ she thought to herself steeling her resolve as she fished into her pouch filled with explosion tags

She had roughly three minutes and roughly enough tags to cover the area she was in for a five kilometer radius explosion

She could sense that Konan was using chakra to run faster and would probably be out of that radius in two minutes

And she was going to make sure she went out fighting for her family


	4. Losing sleep in Rain

People die in war. That is a common fact that even the most naïve of children should know. And as much as it hurts, people have to move on in spite of the deaths of their loved ones. They live on knowing that their loved ones will never return, and that things won't ever revert back to the way things were before they experienced the terror of war first hand.

What makes death sadder is the lack of mourning. Or rather, one simply didn't get the opportunity to mourn during war. Some may not even get the chance to see their loved ones face for the last time, whether that be a blessing or a shame is debatable by every individual.

Konan is no exception, in the sense that she too has no time to mourn despite the fact that she wants to. In her mind she knows that the corpses of her mother and father were probably ashes by now. They were probably burned along with many other corpses.

It's funny in a morbid sense how people could either choose to mourn or adapt.

Konan chose the latter. Not because she didn't want to mourn, but because surviving is her top priority. She couldn't allow herself to spit on her parents' sacrifice by dying.

But that's easier said than done considering she's a full-fledged crybaby.

The town that she arrived at after leaving her mother was a pigpen, no matter how Konan tried to sugar coat it. The town had been flooded by the dirtiest water Konan had ever seen in both her current life and her previous one, the water was so high that she had to swim to keep herself from drowning, and not to mention the stench of dead animal and blood that filled the air.

Suffice to say the town wasn't the most hygiene of places.

Konan surely would _never_ be able to forget that she accidently swam into a corpse of a kid. That had almost giving her a heart attack, she has always been a faint hearted child after all. Not to mention the hollow look….no, forget it. She didn't want to remember. The memory would haunt her in her dreams after all.

She didn't have a choice but to travel to the next town and hope for the best despite knowing how dangerous it is for a mere child to travel by herself during war. Konan may be a timid person by nature, but she knew better than to use the open roads and instead stuck close to the trees.

Okay, fine. It was only due to her mother's lessons that she knew not to stick to the roads.

As much as she would like to say that she has more than enough resources to get by, it would be a complete lie. And anyone who knew Konan would know that she couldn't tell a lie to save her life.

In truth her resources, the bare minimum she could carry with her, would only last her ten days. And that's accounting the fact that she'll only eat the bare minimum she needs. She knows that it isn't a healthy diet, and that it may even affect her growth, but what other choice does she have?

To be honest she was happy she even has food, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that right now she had it quite good. Other orphans don't have the luxury of food. So as far as she's concerned she's quite lucky.

But even her luxury was a double-edged sword, because her fellow street urchins were by no means dumb. They would see that she isn't as skinny as them, that even though her clothes were dirty they were made by fine silk, and they would see her as a perfect target to steal from.

Knowing this only made Konan more alert, paranoia preventing her from even closing her eyes for a second, and she knew that if it continued she would develop a case of insomnia. She didn't know if that was a good trait or a bad trait in the world she resides in.

Speaking of insomnia she recalls that Gaara also had a case of it, didn't he? Although his was developed due to the being inside of him and the constant assassination attempts on him. Konan remembers a fair amount of information about the Naruto series, but for the life of her she wasn't sure whether or not Gaara ever got over his insomnia. She hopes he did.

And as she hugs her knees tightly to herself while hiding in a bush she couldn't help but wonder if other characters experienced insomnia as well. She thinks that it's likely considering that they were ninjas, and that particular career choice is rather gruesome.

Gruesome enough to traumatize someone to the point of not being able to sleep anymore she imagines.

Then she looks up at the starry sky and wonders what Yahiko and Nagato were up to while she's thinking about weird stuff.

* * *

 ** _A/N : A huge thank you to everyone that's supporting this story~! I apologize for this chapter being short, but don't start raging, the next ones will be longer._**

 ** _Please continue to support this story. Have a nice day~!_**


	5. Kinship in Rain

Konan has and always will be a crybaby who is scared of her own shadow. That was a fact. In fact the character that most described her would be shy old Hinata. And that was as far as she could relate to Hinata.

Because unlike Hinata, her shyness and timid nature didn't stem from family situations, merely because she believed herself to be a ripple. Every step that she takes, to every people she talks to, the fact that she's breathing in itself is a ripple.

Whether it be a ripple in the Naruto story, or a ripple in someone else's life.

She was aware that a ripple wasn't always a bad thing, quite the opposite, she knew that some ripples were very much welcomed. But she was scared of her own ripples. What if her existence screws everything up?

That question made her hesitate, made her stumble each time she tried to walk, made her question her own shadow, all because she lacked the confidence to believe that she could actually fix things for the good.

Don't get her wrong, she'd very much like to be a confident person, like Naruto. She wanted to be able to shout out her believes without a care in the world, wanted to express herself, wanted to be carefree. But she couldn't. She wasn't Naruto.

She had to always be aware of both herself and the world around her. Make sure she doesn't mess up.

And even if she wanted to be confident, it isn't something someone builds up out of nowhere. Confidence rises with time. She merely hoped time would be kind to her. Who knows what the future had in store?

She'd very much like to be idealistic about it, but who was she kidding if she did that? She couldn't even make sure her parents live? Who is to say she may not accidently kill Nagato herself? Pessimistic of her part she knew, but she had a rough week, thank you very much.

Camping out in the bushes and trees wasn't exactly comfortable. She wouldn't recommend it to even the worst of the worse villains. But maybe that was just her bleeding heart, her deeply hidden idealism that believed that even the worst of the worse can be redeemed.

Not to mention those bugs and worms…..Amegakure definitely wasn't the ideal place for a camping trip.

Well, to sum everything up, Konan has had a bad week.

But after every storm comes a rainbow, right?

That was the only thing she could think to convince herself that the situation in front of her was really happening. That she really was seeing Yahiko in front of her. In the flesh. Getting beaten up by three other kids.

She blinked, maybe it really was her imagination? It just seemed to fortunate of her to run into Yahiko this early on after living on her own.

A battle cry startled her back to reality, and made her realize that yes, she really was seeing Yahiko, and he seemed to have turned the tables, because right at the moment he was the one beating the other three kids up.

She stared in awe, maybe this really was her lucky break. There couldn't be any other explanation for her stumbling upon Yahiko so quickly.

"What are you staring at?!"

Konan squeaked in surprise before looking up to an annoyed Yahiko, his blue eyes looking far too…too unlike a child's, too much like a cornered animal constantly fending for itself, his hair so dirty she barely remembered it was orange, and he looked to skinny for her liking. She realized that the other three kids were all long gone.

Her hands, which were shaking due to the cold, fumbled into her bag before she produced a ration bar. She timidly held it out to Yahiko who was eyeing it with a conflicted look.

"T-take it…" Konan quietly encouraged.

Eyeing her with mistrust, yet his hunger winning out, Yahiko practically leaped at it. He didn't waste any seconds to scarf down the whole thing.

Konan quietly watched him do so, her eyes taking in every single detail of the boy, noticing how long and unkempt his hair was compared to what she's seen in the anime, how he was wearing a far too big beige shirt along with matching shorts, how there was random injuries all over him obscured by the dirt.

Briefly, she wondered how long it's been since he's taken a shower.

But even despite his street urchin appearance he oozed out a certain aura, a certain charisma if you will. Even his posture is different from the usual hunched and defeated look every urchin she's stumbled upon had, in contrast his posture was confident and determined.

 _'I can see why Konan fell for him…'_ Konan thought to herself.

"Why?"

Konan looked back at Yahiko, mentally noting that his tone wasn't as intimidating anymore.

She tilted her head to the side in confusion, "P-pardon me?" she asked.

"Why did you give me your food?"

"Um…" Konan trailed off, she obviously couldn't tell him that she's been waiting to meet him for quite some time now, it would seem too creepy. "You seemed like you needed it…" She answered, it wasn't even a lie. He obviously needed the food.

Yahiko gave her a disbelieving look, "You're kidding me."

Konan ducked her head down, "S-sorry…" she apologized.

Then she feels something wet making contact with her scalp. Then more droplets of water falling down on her.

"It's raining again, this village really is a stupid crybaby." Yahiko's voice commented.

Konan mused that it sounded too bitter for a child. But then again, she's comparing things with her old world again.

"W-we find shelter…" Konan suggested out loud earning Yahiko's attention again.

"Yeah," He surprisingly agreed with a nod, Konan was both happy about that and worried, because Yahiko shouldn't trust people so easily. "Who are you?"

"My name's Konan, I hope we get along." Konan extended her hand out for him.

Yahiko eyed her hand for a moment before extending his own to shake it, "Name's Yahiko," then he grinned at her, "And I have a feeling we're going to get along just fine."

His grin must have been contagious, because it was enough to make Konan offer a shy smile of her own.


	6. Hideout in Rain

In Amegakure people fell into two categories, greedy or stupidly heroic. Ever since he was little Yahiko's been surrounded by these type of people. These are the type of people he stole from whenever he needed to.

Yahiko wasn't sure in which category Konan fell into.

The girl in question tilted her head to the side, "A cave?" she questioned him.

She was too cautious to be naïve.

"Yeah, found it a while don't mind, do you?" He asked.

"Not really." She mumbled.

She was too unambigious to be greedy.

"Follow me." He ordered turning his back to her.

She didn't walk behind him, and instead walked side by side. She treated him like her equal.

Yahiko was still confused.

"S-so…how long have you been living in this town?"

"Two weeks." It was a lie, he's only been there for a she didn't need to know, did she?

"A-ah, I just got h-here…"

 _I didn't ask_ , he wanted to tell her. But he did want to know more about her. She was different from the other kids he's seen around. Even the look in her eyes were different. _Hopeful_. Different from the despair he saw in everyone else's eyes.

"How did you get food?" He asked.

She gave her an odd look, as if he asked something odd. "My parents."

"You have parents?" Yahiko asked in surprise.

He didn't have parents. He didn't even remember them. He only remembered this older boy taking care of him. The boy died some years back. And aside from him Yahiko didn't have anything remotely close to family. So it was a surprise to hear that Konan has parents.

"I _had_ parents." She corrected him.

His mouth dropped open in an O-shape, and suddenly he felt bad for asking. He also felt stupid, why would a girl be wandering the streets alone if she had parents?

"Sorry."

"Don't worry! I-it's alright r-really." She assured him.

"You're weird." He informed her.

"R-really?" She asked.

"Yes."He bluntly said.

She smiled a bit, "Oh."

"Why do you have that in your hair?" Yahiko decided to ask pointing at the flower made out of paper in Konan's hair.

Her small fingers played with the flower as she flickered her eyes to meet his blue ones. "I…think it's pretty."

"Really?" Yahiko scrunched up his nose at the word.

"Really."

Yahiko sighed, "Girls are weird."

"I-I am not weird." Konan protested.

He gave her a playful look. "You're the queen of weirdos."

Konan sputtered something at him, but she was stuttering too much that he couldn't really make out the words. He guessed that it was a protest.

"Let's get going before the rain picks up." He ordered picking up the pace.

"H-hai!" She heard him say from behind him before catching up with him.

It was odd speaking to a kid his age, he reflected, but it's fun. And he hasn't had genuine fun in…in how long? He really can't remember. Time wasn't important when it came to living on the streets. Only night and day matters, because they told him when to steal and when to hide away to rest.

"Y-y-you're going too fast for me."

Yahiko sighed and grabbed Konan's hands. They felt warm. "Just try and keep up." He told her pulling her along.

 _'Nii-chan was right,girls are kind of slow compared to boys.'_ Yahiko thought to himself.

"Wait!" He heard Konan yell.

Slightly annoyed he abruptly stopped. Aside from muttering ouch under her breath, Konan didn't say anything else. Instead she crouched down and took off her wooden sandles.

She then stored them away in her backpack.

"D-done." She said standing back up.

They continued walking to the outskirts of the town.

 _'Or maybe nii-chan was wrong. Girls are pretty fast too.'_ Yahiko realized as Konan kept up with him even when he sped up, though he did notice her panting more due to her efforts.

When they reached the outskirts of the town Yahiko took a look around, making sure no one aside from Konan and him would know where the cave is.

At the same time the rain started pouring down heavily.

"Stupid crybaby!" Yahiko hissed under his breath before grabbing Konan's hand.

He started running.

He didn't really need to think about where the cave was. He practically had it memorized in his head. He eventually stopped at a clearing.

"There." He pointed to the cave.

"H-how did you find this?" Konan asked as they entered.

"Just stumbled upon it." Yahiko lied.

He knew she knew he was lying, but she didn't call him out on it.

"Take off your clothes." Yahiko ordered taking off his own shirt.

"E-e-eh?" Konan stuttered out, "Why?" she asked.

"Want to get sick?" He retorted.

"I don't get sick easily." Konan quietly said.

He turned his back on her. "Your problem."

She gasped.

He immediately realized his mistake.


End file.
